This invention relates to a holster for an automatic weapon and in particular, to a holster which retains the weapon securely and can be made of lightweight, durable and inexpensive materials.
Weapon holsters, which are well known in the art, are generally attached to a belt that is worn around the waist, leg, chest or elsewhere on the body. Typically, such holsters are in the shape of the weapon with an opening at the top for inserting and removing the weapon. Some holsters employ a restraining system wherein a releasable strap extends above the grip of the holstered weapon across the opening to secure the weapon in place.
The disadvantage of this single strap system is that the user's opponent has relatively easy access to the weapon merely by releasing the strap with one hand and removing the weapon by its grip with the other. Additionally, if the user is engaged in such physical activity as rolling or crawling, the strap may become undone and the weapon may accidentally slip out of the holster. The magnitude of the problem is exemplified in that 80% of police gunshot injuries and fatalities in the United States currently are inflicted to the officer by his or her own weapon.
Known weapon holsters designed to restrain the weapon more securely are made of leather with a releasable strap above the grip and another releasable strap across the trigger guard on the rearward side of the holster. This type of holster has an elaborate design, including a steel shank covered with leather which sits directly on top of the ejection port of an automatic weapon. To maintain the steel shank in its exact position, a steel member goes around the weapon to give the holster tension, and a steel screw is attached at the lower portion of the steel shank to apply pressure to the leather. To remove the weapon, both straps must be undone and the weapon must be removed in a backward, lifting motion. If only the upper strap is undone and the weapon is pulled straight up, the ejection port will be caught by the steel shank and the weapon cannot readily be removed from the holster.
The disadvantages of this holster are several. First, the holster is made of leather, which is subject to damage by water. It is also more expensive, heavier, and less durable than many man-made materials. Moreover, the elaborate steel shank design is complicated and expensive, and the leather in the region around the steel shank is subject to wear and not replaceable after it has worn away.
Lightweight and durable nylon holsters are also known in the art. Since nylon is lightweight and flexible, nylon holsters are unable to accommodate the complicated steel shank design utilized in the double-strap type leather holster. In order to provide the desirable feature of known stiff holsters, a nylon holster has been developed including a pocket on the inside of the holster which contains a plastic dowel. The plastic dowel secures the weapon by engaging the weapon above the muzzle end of the ejection port of the weapon. Although this structure is satisfactory, a holster structure which further helps to prevent accidental or unintentional removal of the weapon from the holster is desirable
The nylon holster known in the art which contains a plastic dowel generally has a back keeper strap which is secured to an index finger break by snaps and which thereby urges the weapon forward so that the ejection port is engaged by the dowel. The snaps are disengaged to remove the weapon from the holster. When the holster is worn about the waist, the breaking apart of the snaps may be accomplished by the side of the user's index finger in a relatively rapid and fluid motion which does not impede the subsequent motion of removing the weapon. The back keeper strap and index finger break system is less than completely satisfactory, however, when the holster is worn against the leg. Since the user's hand approaches the back keeper strap and index finger break from above when the holster is worn against the leg instead of from behind as when the holster is worn against the waist, the motion to break apart the snaps is relatively awkward and hinders the removal of the weapon in a rapid, fluid motion. This delay may be life-threatening to the user of the weapon.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a weapon holster which can be fabricated of a lightweight, inexpensive, waterproof and durable material, yet which also prevents the weapon from being removed by accident or by an opponent. It is also desirable to provide such a weapon holster which can be worn against the leg and which may allow rapid removal by the user.